Monthly Archives: November 2015

Just like in any sport, what you use in playing golf is vital to your success in the game. Obviously, golf clubs are the most important golfing equipment. You have to use the golf club that will provide you optimum precision and endurance. The shot it makes must not be too short. It should also not be too long for it may send ball into water hazards.

Different Types of Golf Clubs

You have to know these basic types of golf clubs, as well as their functions and features, to know which you should purchase. Hybrid clubs are the latest type of clubs.

•Woods

Woods have large spherical heads with a slight bulging clubface. They also feature a flat bottom that slides over the ground during the stroke. Modern wood heads are made of titanium or hollow steel; others are filled with foam. Their shaft enters the wood off-center which makes the face of the wood roughly positioned at a right angle to its side.

Woods are generally used for the longest shots. You do not need a tee off the ground when playing with woods. 1-wood is called drivers. 7-woods, 9-woods, and 11-woods are great out of rough.

•Irons

These are used for shorter shots, especially when the shot’s approaching the green. Irons range from 90 to 100 cm in length. The heads are usually solid with flat clubface. Iron lofts range from 16 to 60 degrees.

Long-irons and intermediate irons or those with lower loft are played from fairway. Those with higher loft are played from difficult ground and for approach shots. Handicap golfers use 1-irons and 2-irons; the loft of these irons make it difficult to get the ball airborne. Traditional iron sets consist of 3-irons to 9-irons.

•Wedges

These are irons with more than 50 degrees loft. There are different kinds of wedges. Sand wedges feature specialized undersides that make them appropriate for shots from the rough and from bunkers. Lob wedges have loft of 58 to 62 degrees high; they are used for shots from sand and for approach shots.

•Putters

These clubs come in different head shapes. They have low lofts and short shafts. Putters are best used when playing the ball on the green. They are also useful for some approach shots and shots from bunkers.

•Hybrids

Hybrid clubs have the best features of a long-iron and a fairway wood. They are designed specifically for distance control and accuracy of shot. Hybrids have larger heads than irons. They have shorter shafts that woods, making them easier to control. Hybrids have flat face and higher loft; these produce more spin, allowing the ball to stop faster and more accurately. The shots hybrids make are simple.

These clubs help golfers get their balls higher and farther compared to what could be achieved using irons. Long irons replaced with utility club designs to form a hybrid set is a perfect choice for beginners.

Uses of Hybrid clubs

•Off the Tee

Hybrids are perfect for long par 3’s and short par 4 tee shots. These clubs have lower center of gravity that helps launch the ball in the air. Through this, the ball comes down on a steeper angle and then, it will easily stop on the green.

•From the Fairway

These clubs are really great for a long approach shot to the green since they are excellent in distance control and accuracy. Hitting hybrids from the fairways will help you go for more par 5’s in 2.

•Around the Green

Hybrids perform really well for “bump and run” shots around the green. By getting the ball rolling as fast as possible on the ground, they are able to eliminate any chance for error. You can also use these clubs like a putt to gain control; this helps eliminate chances of decelerating wedge shots.

•Out of Bunker

To enable a steeper angle of attack, you can move the ball in your stance. Hybrids, with their bigger heads and larger rudders, can be easily swung through the sand. When making shots out of bunker, the balls should be hit first. The ball has to be up in the air and out of the bunker quickly.

•From the Rough

Long irons get caught up when the shot is done from the rough, this causes the clubs to twist and produce mishits. Because hybrids have larger size and mass, it is easier for these clubs to drive from the rough. Hybrids also have rudders and rails on their bottoms that keep the face square.

The 24/38 Rule

Hybrid clubs are easier to hit with than long-irons, regardless if they have the same loft. With hybrids, the golf ball will also have a higher trajectory. The 24/38 rule will help you understand why. Golf club manufacturers have knowledge about this certain rule.

The rule says that most golfers have no ability to hit an iron consistently given that its length is 38 inches or more and its loft is 24 degrees or less. Most golfers cannot hit shots with any iron longer than 5-iron consistently.

The Vanishing Loft Phenomenon

Golfers who are playing over the years are most probably aware that the iron lofts have become lower. A modern 4-iron has settled into 23 to 24 degrees of loft. This is mainly due to the birth of hybrids. They were designed to fulfill what irons and woods cannot. Unlike irons, they are not difficult to hit. Unlike woods, hybrids don’t have difficult mechanics.